MEMBER BLOG

Music in Games
Posted on Wednesday, August 17 2011 @ 12:34:56 Eastern

      Rarely does music in video games get a mention in mainstream society. You never hear about the guys who compose, except for those like Koji Kondo, who have attained a cult like status amongst their respective fan bases. There are so few videogames anymore that tailor the music to fit the mood, COD(call of duty) and many war games like it give you music but the music seems forced. Don't get me wrong i love all games as long as they are not crap(movie games ect.) but i think mainstream game designers are missing a great way to drag in an audience to a story. 
      Case in point Bastion, it was a game i thought i would enjoy and put down, But oh was i wrong when i heard this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8cELTdtw6U I was sucked in immediately. When i ran across this song i found myself listening to it over and over again. Hell when i played new game+ I sat at this level in the game and just let the music play while i cleaned house. The music alone caught my attention and made the gameplay so much more real i savored every moment of the game from start to finish and my subsequent replays. Rarely has any soundtrack enhanced the gameplay  the few that have were, Elder Scrolls, Crono Trigger, and the Final Fantasy Series (obvious 7 fanboi).
      Bear in mind most of those examples are from a time when music output in videogames were Beeps and Whirrs but for instance Chrono Trigger has such a fanbase now that people have recomposed most of the themes to full fledged musical pieces. Yet the music was only SNES quality originally
Frog's Theme
SNES Ver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5FFDj7vH6E 

Composed Ver (im not trying to promote i just like this version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P430tEE1mz0 

       Ill bore you with one more example. If you have played mercenaries 2 (not be best game but playable). You get so far into the game to where you get the UN helicopters unlocked. Now first time i got into an attack chopper, i kid you not, the opening for that classical song "Ride of the Valkyrie's" Begins to play. Now if you have ever blown up enemy cars tanks and buildings with a helicopter while singing along to the song (you know how Ba BA Buh Ba Bah Bum) you know how incredibly fun it can be.

I guess i'm just a fan of music, but i want our video game makers to know that you just don't have  to make good games with good mechanics. You need something that pulls you in, music can be that thing, don't just cookie cutter music into a game and call it good Please.